Hepatitis A Warning For Original Joe’s Customers in Canada

Alberta Health Services is warning consumers who ate at an Original Joe’s restaurant in Strathmore that they may have been exposed to the hepatitis A virus. The restaurant is located at #8, 100 Ranch Market in Strathmore, Alberta. Anyone who ate at that restaurant from June 9 to June 19 may have been exposed.

Alberta Health Services will offer hepatitis A vaccines to all patrons who consumed food from this location. People who only consumed beverages are not at risk for exposure and do not need a shot.

The drop-in clinics will be held at the Northgate Clinic in Calgary on June 23 and June 24 from 1:00 pm to 9:00 pm. A clinic will also be at the Chestermere Community Health Centre on June 23 and June 24, 2015 from 1:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

And a clinic will be at the Strathmore Public Health Office on June 23 and 24, 2015 from 1:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The last clinic is for appointments only; call 403-361-7200 to book an appointment.

Dr. Judy MacDonald, Medical Officer of Health said in a statement, “while we believe the risk to the public is low, hepatitis A is a serious infection. A vaccine administered within 14 days of exposure can greatly reduce the risk for patrons who consumed food at this location during this time frame.”

Anyone who ate at that restaurant on June 9, 2015 must get a vaccination today.

Illness usually occurs within 15 to 50 days after exposure to the virus, and symptoms include tiredness, poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever, dark-colored urine, light clay-colored stools, and yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice). Most people recover within a few weeks, but others can become seriously ill. And some people can be infected with no symptoms, but can pass the virus on to others.